In 2021, Nottingham City Council bid for and won £18million as part of a competitive process from Central Government to deliver the ‘Renewing Local Streets’ transport programme.

 This work aimed to improve streets and local town centres and made walking and cycling easier and safer, through three main strands.

• Streets for People
• School Streets
• Greener Streets

Renewing Local Streets programmes are now complete, with £18million invested into improving our communities.

Our Streets for People programme has improved over 53km of road, upgraded 88 footpaths, planted 240 trees and added 500m2 of urban greening.

Works the City Council have been carrying out as part of this project include upgrading pavements and walkways to make them safer, especially taking into consideration the needs of older people and those with less mobility, as well as repairing roads and cycle paths to help us improve traffic flow and safety, across all twenty wards in Nottingham.

Newer, smoother footpaths and roads make it far easier for those using pushchairs, scooters and wheelchairs and other mobility aids as well as those getting around by bike or e-scooter.

Our School Streets programme has introduced measures designed to encourage more walking, scooting and cycling to schools by making areas around school entrances safer, with less traffic and more inviting approach routes.

All schools in the city had their zig zag keep clear lines repainted, 89 had amber flashing warning lights installed and 59 received other road safety improvements including measures like improved pedestrian crossings, a 20mph speed limit or bollards. Additionally, over 11,000 city school children were engaged in road safety education.

Our Greener Streets programme has seen street lighting around the city replaced with LED lamps, in a change which should save the Council around £1.5million a year in lower energy costs. The over 36,000 LED lampposts as well as street signage lighting and subway lighting are more energy-efficient while also giving improved night-time visibility, improving safety.

As part of Greener Streets, we’ve also installed 28 EV charging points in our neighbourhoods. Seven 50kwh for rapid charging and 21 7kw chargers for charging during longer stays were installed across Bulwell, the Meadows, Lenton Abbey, Sneinton and Whitemoor.

Councillor Linda Woodings, Executive Member for Regional Development, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council said: “It’s wonderful to mark this important milestone and celebrate as we reach the end of our Levelling Up funded programme of improvements. From fixing roads and footpaths to creating safer areas around our schools and improving our street lighting, these changes are making a real difference in the everyday lives of so many people in our city.”

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said: “This is a strong example of how Government investment, delivered locally, leads to meaningful improvements to people’s lives – whether through more accessible walking and cycling routes or giving them more options to charge their electric cars.

“Our £18 million in funding will have a tangible impact for the people of Nottingham and will lead to smoother, safer and greener journeys for all, as we deliver growth to the region and beyond through our Plan for Change.”

Read about all the improvements in detail here.

Note to editors –

Renewing Local Streets programme funding was allocated from the Levelling Up Fund.